Dispensing device



Sept. 14, 1965 w. R. scHoLLE DISPENSING DEVICE Filed July 2, 1963 INVENTOR. WILLIAM R. ScHoLLe United States Patent O 3,206,075 DISPENSING DEVICE William R. Scl1olle,l.ong Beach, Calif., assignor to Scholle Container Corporation, Northlake, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed 'July 2, 1963, Ser. No. 292,270 4 Claims. (Cl. 222-105) This invention relates to dispensing devices and particularly to a novel spigot adapted for association with cooperative means such as a nozzle component of a liquid container for dispensing the contents thereof.

It is a particular object of the present invention to provide a novel, compact and simple spigot which can be composed principally of plastic such as polyethylene, and which will withstand changes in temperature such as refrigeration, and which may be employed in association with a nozzle Secured to a plastic liner when the liner is disposed in a supporting paperboard container for the dispensing of the contents thereof, suitably milk, the entire assembly being adapted for being disposed in a refrigerated chamber.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention, its details of construction and arrangement of parts, will be apparent from a consideration of the following specification and accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a container comprising a plastic liner containing liquid and ydisposed in an outer paperboard receptacle with the spigot of the present invention associated with a nozzle leading from the plastic liner and extending through the paperboard container.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1 with the spigot moved to dispensing position as distinguished from a closed position shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. l.

FIG. 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. l.

FIG. 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an exploded sectional view of the lined container of FIGS. l and 2 and a closure cap which is ordinarily employed thereon and for which the spigot of the present invention can be `substituted for dispensing purposes.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the spigot of the present invention disassociated with the containers of FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 8 is a side elevational View of the spigot of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view of the sealing gasket employed in the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numerial 10 indicates a plastic liner bag such as of polyethylene filled with liquid generally indicated as 11 which suitably may be milk, disposed in an outer paperboard container 12. Conventionally, the plastic liner 10 has secured over an opening 13 thereof a nozzle generally indicated as 14, by means of a flange 15 which is Sealed to the plastic liner bag 11 about its opening 13. As shown in FIGS. l, 2, 5 and 6, the nozzle 14 is projected through the aperture 16 in the paperboard container 12 and held anchored thereagainst by means of the spaced flanges 17 and 18. The outer end of the nozzle 14 is formed with one or more threads 19 or other means for engagement of the threads 20 or other complementary means on the inner face of the skirt of the cap generally indicated as 21 which is conventionally used for closing or capping the nozzle 14 in transit and storage.

When it is desired to dispense the contents 11 of the liner bag 10 in use as for example when the entire assembly is placed in a refrigerator, the cap 21 is removed from the nozzle 14 and is replaced by the spigot of the present invention generally indicated as 26, shown as a whole 3,205,075 Patented Sept. 14, 1965 ICC in FIG. 8, wherefrom it will be noted that said spigot embodies an integral concentric cap having the head portion 22 integral with the sleeve component 23, and a skirt portion 24 formed internally with one or more threads 25 complementary to the threads 19 on the nozzle 14. Althought the nozzle 14, cap 21 and cap 24 are provided with threads, it will be understood that friction t between the associated parts or other inter-engaging means, such as snap lit interlock means, not shown, known t0 the art may be employed.

The spigot 26 comprises a tubular conduit 27 suitably made of plastic having a peripheral opening 28 adjacent one end thereof which is the closed end, said closed end terminating in a hand-hold 29 for actuation purposes as will be hereinafter explained. Intermediate the aperture 28 and the hand-hold 29 there is an annular integral flange 3l).

Normally seated against this ange 30 is a resilient sealing O-ring or gasket 31. In the preferred form of the present invention, this O-ring is of generally rectangular cross section, at least the inner defining face 32 or periphery of the gasket 31 being at or planar, the top and bottom surfaces 33, 33 being annularly grooved, as shown in FIG. 9, to provide an enhanced sealing effect when the end portion 34 of sleeve 23 is urged into pressed contact against the gasket 31 under the action of spring 35.

Although the use of a sealing gasket is preferred, in the alternative, when close tting parts of a plastic such as polyethylene are employed, the use of a gasket may be dispensed with, particularly when the peripheral area of the conduit adjacent the ange 30 is of silghtly greater or increasing diameter towards the ange, not shown, so that sleeve 23 can wedge onto it.

The sleeve 23 is of a length such that it will cover the aperture 28 in conduit 27 under action of the spring 35, and conduit 27 is of a length such that the sleeve 23 can be moved away from the aperture 28 so as to expose it for dispensing purposes as shown in FIG. 2. The spring 35 is suitably anchored at one end as within the bayonet slot 36 at the open end of conduit 27, with the opposed end of the spring resting against the shoulder 37 of sleeve 23.

Thus normally conduit 27 is urged inwardly within the contines of the nozzle 14 and may extend into the connes of the plastic liner 10 under action of spring 35 which causes the conduit 27 to move into the sleeve 23 so as to bring the aperture 28 within the contines of sleeve 23 and brings the flange 30 and the gasket 31 up against the end 34 of the sleeve 23 into sealing position. For dispensing purposes one needs merely to grasp the hand-hold 29 and draw it outwardly from the sleeve 23 against the action of spring 35 so as to expose the aperture 28 and to permit the liquid material 11 to ow from the liner bag 10 through the nozzle 14 and spigot conduit portion 27. Upon release of the hand-hold 29 the spring draws the conduit 27 inwardly to closed position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 7. As a new fully equivalent alternative, the spring 35 may be omitted and the open and closed positions of the spigot both operated manually without spring return.

Although I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention it will be understood by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in the details thereof without departing from its scope as comprehended by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A spigot comprising a tubular conduit open at one end and close-d at the other, a peripheral aperture formed in said conduit communicating with said open end and disposed adjacent the closed end of said conduit, a unitary peripheral flange embracing said conduit adjacent its closed end, a relatively shorter sleeve embracing said conduit and supporting the latter for reciprocation therein and beyond the opposed ends thereof and adapted to alternately cover and expose said aperture, a gasket on said conduit disposed between one end of said sleeve and said flange and normally seated on said flange, spring means embracing said conduit and disposed outwardly and rearwardly of said vsleeve normally urging disposition of said aperture within the confines of said sleeve and compression of said gasket between said sleeve end and said flange, a concentric cap carried by and embracing said sleeve with its head portion integral therewith and with Yits skirt portion spaced therefrom and opening toward said open conduit end, and means formed on said skirt portion for engagement with reciprocal means formed on connecting conduit means therefor, and handhold means on the closed end of said conduit for reciprocating it to dispensing position in said sleeve against the action of said vspr-ing.

2,. Dispensing means including a spigot comprising a tubular conduit open at one end and closed at the other, a peripheral aperture formed in said conduit communicating with said open end and disposed adjacent the closed end of said conduit, a unitary peripheral ange embracing said conduit adjacent its closed end, a relatively shorter sleeve-embracing said conduit and supporting the latter for reciprocation therein and beyond the opposed ends thereof and adapted to alternately cover and expose said aperture, a gasket on said conduit disposed between one end of said sleeve and said liange and normally seated on said flange, coil spring means normally urging disposition of said aperture within the connes of said sleeve and compression of said gasket between said sleeve `end and said flange, a concentric cap carried by said sleeve with its head portion integral therewith and with its skirt portion spaced therefrom and opening toward said open `conduit end, and internal thread means formed 4on said skirt portion in separable engagement with reciprocal threaded nozzle means carried by a flexible plastic container bag, said conduit and sleeve projecting within said nozzle, and-hand-hold means on the closed end of said conduit for reciprocating it to dispensing position in said sleeve against the action of said spring.

3. A spigot comprising a tubular conduit open at one end and closed at the other, a peripheral aperture formed in said conduit communicating with said open end and disposed adjacent the closed end of said conduit, a relatively shorter sleeve embracing said conduit and supporting the latter for reciprocation therein and beyond the opposed ends thereof and adapted to alternately cover and expose said aperture, and a concentric cap carried by and embracing said sleeve with its head portion integral therewith and with its skirt portion spaced therefrom and opening toward said open conduit end, and means formed on said skirt portion for engagement with reciprocal means formed on connecting means therefor.

4. Dispensing means comprising a paperboard container, a flexible liner bag disposed within said container, a relatively rigid dispensing nozzle extending from said liner bag through an .opening formed in a wall of said container and in anchored engagement therewith, a spigot comprising a tubular conduit open at one end and closed at the other, a peripheral aperture formed in said conduit communicating with said open end and disposed adjacent the closed end of said conduit, a relatively shorter sleeve embracing said conduit and supporting the latter for reciprocation therein and beyond the opposed ends thereof and adapted to alternately cover and expose said aperture, and a concentric cap carried by and embracing said sleeve with its head portion integral therewith and with its skirt portion spaced therefrom and opening toward said `open conduit end formed on said skirt portion in separable engagement with and projecting into said nozzle.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,761,089 6/30 Schatz 251-321 X 2,139,289 12/38 Skoda 222-522 X 2,980,300 4/61 Waddington 222-570 X 3,047,300 7/ 62 Taylor et al. 277-205 X 3,087,655 4/63 Scholle 222-105 X LOUIS I. DEMBO, Primary Examiner.

RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Examiner. 

1. A SPIGOT COMPRISING A TUBULAR CONDUIT OPEN AT ONE END AND CLOSED AT THE OTHER, A PERIPHERAL APERTURE FORMED IN SAID CONDUIT COMMUNICATING WITH SAID OPEN END AND DISPOSED ADJACENT THE CLOSED END OF SAID CONDUIT, A UNITARY PERIPHERAL FLANGE EMBRACING SAID CONDUIT ADJACENT ITS CLOSED END, A RELATIVELY SHORTER SLEEVE EMBRACING SAID CONDUIT AND SUPPORTING THE LATTER FOR RECIPROCATION THEREIN AND BEYOND THE OPPOSED ENDS THEREOF AND ADAPTED TO ALTERNATELY COVER AND EXPOSE SAID APERTURE, A GASKET ON SAID CONDUIT DISPOSED BETWEEN ONE END OF SAID SLEEVE AND SAID FLANGE AND NORMALLY SEATED ON SAID FLANGE, SPRING MEANS EMBRACING SAID CONDUIT AND DISPOSED OUTWARDLY AND REARWARDLY OF SAID SLEEVE NORMALLY URGING DISPOSITION OF SAID APERTURE WITHIN THE CONFINES OF SAID SLEEVE AND COMPRESSION OF SAID GASKET BETWEEN SAID SLEEVE END AND SAID FLANGE, A CONCENTRIC CAP CARRIED BY AND EMBRACING SAID SLEEVE WITH ITS HEAD PORTION INTEGRAL THEREWITH AND WITH ITS SKIRT PORTION SPACED THEREFROM AND OPENING TOWARD SAID OPEN CONDUIT END, AND MEANS FORMED ON SAID SKIRT PORTION FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH RECIPROCAL MEANS FORMED ON CONNECTING CONDUIT MEANS THEREFOR, AND HANDHOLD MEANS ON THE CLOSED END OF SAID CONDUIT FOR RECIPROCATING IT TO DISPENSING POSITION IN SAID SLEEVE AGAINST THE ACTION OF SAID SPRING. 